A wonderful Eye Opening Experience that will pay dividends in the future Past Review
By A student (Chinese Language, Literature, University of Maine - Orono) - abroad from 09/08/2014 to 06/25/2015 with
Shanghai University: Shanghai - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Intermediate Chinese Language (Started with 2-3 words) Beginner Mongolian Language
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Intensive to say the least. Prep for HSK-5 within 8-9 months. Assessment of HSK related programs estimate 1-2 years of study. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very good administration. Constantly looking out for students well-being. Initial communication between home university and host university was extremely poor, but once situated the administration is wonderful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Decent dormitories. Hot water at all hours is a luxury missed. Internet is slow. Any issues will be promptly addressed and fixed if you notify admin. |
| * Food: |
Really CHEAP. Food in certain canteens are great, few other canteens lack sanitation. witnessed a large rat in the kitchen once. Nutrition is different and will take some time to adjust. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
You will be the odd one out, accept it. Be careful with "black taxi's" Admin will warn you about certain scans used on foreigners. Fellow students are very friendly but mainly in part because you're different. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Had a few health issues while abroad. The international insurance was a waste but required. The host university insurance worked extremely well for my stay in the hospital. Local over the counter medicine is far from US standards. |
| * Safety: |
The culture promotes a safety for everyone and especially foreign students. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 40USD |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Bring medicine. Understand that transportation is extremely cheap. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Steady study exercise, don't burn yourself out. The classes and then further use can be taxing on you especially if you go to a country where you don't speak any of the language. Locals don't understand english at all, students understand a little or are too timid to use. Learn as much of the language before going, it will pay off if you put in the work before hand. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Language (of course) Medicine English isn't as common in shanghai as many say Shanghai Ocean University is far from City Center and little to do in Lingang. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
